Refrigerator-car drain



l m5. A 1,55 1 ou zo P. s. DouGHEn'rv. 7'8 s narnmnnon cm muuu z Filed Nov. 1o, .-1924 6 Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES llArlezrJfr OFFICE.

`rAUL s. DOUGHRRTY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssICNOR To STANDARD GALvANIz- ING CO., or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR DRAIN.

Application filed November 10, 1924. Serial No. 749,001.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, PAUL S. DOUCIIERTY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator-Car Drains, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide for refrigerator cars an outlet drain from the floor pan which will be trapped; to provide a construction formed from sheet steel; to provide a trap having a minimum number ofA parts ofv light weight of low expense in the construction, and of convenient form for installati-'on on the standard refrigerator car; to provide a trap which is adapted to be positively secured to the floor pan in a. refrigerator car; topprovide a trap in which the sealing bowl is below the body or platformgof the car; to provide a bowl or seal of symmetrical form which is readily accessible and easily cleaned; to provide a counter poise on the bowl so that the bowl is normally held in position so as to form a perfect trap for the drain; and to provide an inexpensive construction with maximum durability.

One of the objects obtained by this invention is the construction of a sanitary refrigerator car drain with a trap in which there is no internal bowl or inaccessible pockets in which decaying matter can lodge and become the source of infection.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. lis a complete trap secured to the pan of the car projecting through the sill with the bowl in position to form a seal.

Fig. 2 is; the same trap with a, bowl swung to one side against the force of the counter weight, putting the bowl in such position that it will clean itself.

In Fig. l the floor pan l is shown resting on the platform sill 2. An aperature through the bottom of the floor and the sill is made sufficiently large to pass the drain pipe 3 and hinge 4; when the bowl 5 is removed from the trap. The drain pipe 3 is inserted from the top and a. water tight joint is made between the flange 6 and the floor pan l, such water tight joint being formed by the use of solder, rivets or by nails through the flange and bottom into the sill.` The method of securing the flange 6 to the bottom is a matter of expediency and convenience. When the drain tube 3 is inserted and secured to the pan, the bowl 5 is detachably attached to the drain pipe and is locked in place by the insertion yof the pivot in the hinge t. The hinge 4. has two leaves one of which is secured to the drain vpipe and the other leaf is arranged to permit the bowl 5 to swing downwardly and outwardly entirely clear-"of` the lower end of the drain pipe for cleaning the device. The bowl 5 has attached thereto a bracket 7 secured by a rivet 8. The bracket 7 supports a counter poise 9 which is of sufficient weight and occupies a. position which will normally hold, through the action of gravity, the bowl in the position shown in Fig. 1. The weight Vis approximately L-shaped and one of its arms is attached e'xteriorly of the projecting bracket and abuts against the bowl adjacent thel said bracket and its other arm extends upwardly and is arranged to clear the bottom of the car when the bowl is swung away from the lower end of the drain. The end of the drain pipe on the side opposite to the hinge 4: is provided with a projection or stop l() which normally coacts with the bottom of the bowl 5 and limits the upward motion of the bowl to the position where the bowl is normally horizontal. The hinge 4: is secured, to the drain pipe 3 by rivets 'l1 which` are above the normal water level.

In the construction as shown in this invention, the drain pipe, the bowl, the hinge and the bracket supporting the counter weight are all formed from sheet steel. In the forming, care is taken that the radius of bend shall at all times be greater than twice the thickness of the drawn metal. In operation the bowl normally holds the position, as shown in Fig. l, and the drain water which escapes by way of the drain pipe 3 fills the bowl to its upper edge and formsa seal. so that there is no current of air through the drain pipe into the refrigerator car. In operation the bowl naturally becomes the settling basin for animal and vegetable material and such material will rapidly decay. Hence it is necessary to provide a construction from which the decaying matter can be conveniently removed. For this purpose the bowl is located below the sills of the car where an attendant can easily reach and clean the bowl, and at 'the same time see that the bowl is thoroughly cleaned. When the bowl is swung to lits vside position, the drain pipe has a perfectly straight .opening up c into tlie'bend and any material which is lodged in the drain pipe can be seen and removed by a brush or stock. Since refrigerator cars are used rfor the transporta tion of freshmeats and Vegeta-bles, itis of 'great importance that the entire outiit be kept as,sanitary-as possible and that decayed vmatter be thoroughly removed before it reaches the infection stage.

i @Lne ofthe most practical features of the Verternal lbowl-type of refrigerator trap is based on the. fact that vwhen the car is load ed and sealed, clogging of the drain pipe 'results dama-ge'fto the 4contents of the car. yWith this construction/there is a normal static water head of about eighteen inches which iscapable of removing the usua'l obstructions in the bowl by sta-tic pressure, In case-overflow 'of the lfloor pan is ob-v served, `it is not necessary to open the vsealed car in order -to clean out the drain.

Althoughbut one specific embodiment oi this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood'that numerous details ott the 'construction shown may be altered or 'omitted without departing ,drain pipe hav-ing its lower portion extending below the bottom of 'the"car, a two-leaf Ahinge having one of its leaves secured to the projecting portion of the dra-in pipe above tlh'e llowervendthereof, the other leaf of the hinge being movable, a. bowl secured at one of its side walls `to the movable leaf of the hinge, and normally arranged -in a horizontal `position at :the lower end of the d-rain pipe andv receiving the same, a bracket carried by the bowl and projecting outwardly from the same .eXterio-rly thereof adjacent the Xmovable leait :of the hin-ge, an approximately L-shaped weight secured at one armv to the projecting Aportion of .the bracket and iitted against the eXte'rio'r of the bowl contiguous to lthe bracket 'and normall-y maintaining the bowl in the said hor'i- Zontall position, the other yarm of the fweight projecting lupwardly vand being of the nsize to clear the car and Vpermit the bowl to f swing entirely fclear of the lower end oi the drain pipe ,for cleaning the device.

Signed at A'Chicago this 7th day of Nov., 11924.

PAUL S; DOUGHERT'Y. 

